INSIDE THIS ISSUE Killeen High School Page 3 Ellison High School Page 4 Shoemaker High School Page 5 Harker Heights High School Page 6 Early College High School Page 7 Area high school graduation schedule Page 8 Copperas Cove High School Page 9 Gatesville High School Page 10 Lampasas High School Page 11 Florence High School Page 12 Belton High School Page 13 Belton New Tech High School @ Waskow Page 14 Salado High School Page 15 2 Graduation Guide Killeen valedictorian, salutatorian to study neuroscience, social work respectively BY TODD MARTIN the cake. Really, I was just trying to SPECIAL TO THE HERALD further myself.” The IB path requires significant The top two graduates of the community service and while pursu- Killeen High School Class of 2019 ing that aspect, he found that those have learned through the Interna- he wanted to help inspired him. tional Baccalaureate program to Working in a local food bank and think deeply and to maintain a sense delivering food to residents, Denton of humor — about their future, the developed an easy rapport and clients needs of others, even the sneakers became friends. they wear. “The smallest efforts on my part The valedictorian is Michael Tran. made a difference and inspired me and The salutatorian is Joseph Denton. made me want to do more,” he said. He Tran held the top rank in the class plans to go to the University of North for four years and said he takes seri- Texas and study social work. ously the status of No. 1 in the class. He has also considered his speech “The valedictorian represents the TODD MARTIN/KISD to his peers. “I want there to be school. It’s a great deal of responsibil- Killeen High School valedictorian Michael Tran, right, and salutatorian Joseph Denton pose in humor,” he said. “I think a lot of us ity.” the stairwell outside the school’s International Baccalaureate office and classrooms. take life too seriously. You can only He said the IB program has led him control yourself and it’s important to to “dive under the iceberg” to find the he said, end up with one test that deter- ence in hopes of becoming a physi- laugh instead of just complain.” truth beneath the surface. It’s easy to mines how much credit you receive. cian and a university professor. The salutatorian praised his teach- look at the senior year as a series of He credits his parents, Zizi Nguyen The class salutatorian also comes ers and said the IB program pushed “lasts” ending with a big goodbye. He and Jason Tran, along with school at life outside the traditional mold. him to learn time management skills, said, though, it’s also a year of firsts counselors and teachers for allowing “I wasn’t focused on class rankings, to embrace community service and as many students are the first in their him to break out of the typical mold but I pushed myself harder to chal- to pursue well-rounded studies. family to go to college or earn a schol- in challenging himself academically. lenge myself and just kept going,” Killeen High School graduation is arship. He was part of the school He plans to attend the University of Denton said. “I was surprised (at the set for 2 p.m. Sunday, June 2 at the tennis team that was the first to make Texas at Austin and study neurosci- final rankings). It was like icing on Bell County Expo Center. it to the playoffs. For all the contemplation, Tran said his address to his classmates will stay on the lighter side. After all, he is known to many as the “sneaker guy.” The top-ranked KHS senior has accumulated a collection of sneak- ers that he said speaks to his own individuality and tells a story. He wore a pair most of last summer, for example, that now makes him think of the time he spent with his cousins in Philadelphia. When he looks at a pair of shoes, he considers who inspired the design, how did the wearer acquire the sneakers — hard work saving the money or an indifferent choice of fashion, and how does one incorpo- rate the footwear into life. Entering high school, Tran said he wanted the most rigorous path and found that in IB. He has also taken lots of Advanced Placement courses. Both, Graduation Guide 3 Top Ellison grads attribute success to diligent time management BY TODD MARTIN she played tennis. SPECIAL TO THE HERALD She agreed that the full load forced her to take steps to stay prepared. After jockeying for position among The diligent student said she devel- the top three for four years, Chantelle oped a routine, giving herself Friday Cancel and Laiba Khan said it was night off, knowing most of her a relief to settle in as Ellison High weekends would be consumed with School’s valedictorian and salutatori- academic pursuits. an, respectively, for the Class of 2019. “I learned how I study,” Cancel In the highly competitive top aca- said. “I got to where I felt guilty if I demic rankings where fractions of was on my phone because I knew I points matter, Cancel said she figured needed to study. It kept me going.” she had tumbled from the top follow- “TBI helped tremendously,” Khan ing a single disappointing chemistry said as Cancel nodded agreement. test, but she maintained her top The pair said the early college experi- ranking through four years of stellar ence gave them a needed push and ex- performance. posed them to a taste of what awaits “I had a little bit of a scare and them at the university level. thought I might drop, but I didn’t,” The daughter of Jose and Yuneisy she said. “Of course, I’m excited and TODD MARTIN | KISD Cancel is headed to the University of my parents are ecstatic.” Ellison High School valedictorian Chantelle Cancel, left, poses with salutatorian Laiba Khan in Texas to study biology in a premed “There was some uncertainty,” said front of a mural of the Ellison Eagle. program. Khan, who tied with Cancel at No. 1 The daughter of Abdul and Per- in the first class ranking report their Cancel played volleyball all four at H-E-B. Incredibly, as a senior, she veen Khan is going to Texas A&M freshman year, before wavering be- years, including three years on decided to join the varsity softball University to study biomedical sci- tween the second and third positions. varsity. The past two years, she has team, too. ence in a premed program. “It’s something we’ve been fighting attended the Texas Bioscience Insti- When asked how in the world she The Ellison High School gradua- for. I wanted to be first or second.” tute at Temple College and is set to does it all, she smiles as if she’s ac- tion is Sunday, June 2 at 7 p.m. at the The pair have known each other receive an associate’s degree through customed to the surprise. “It helps Bell County Expo Center. since attending Patterson Middle that program. me,” she said. “All those activities School together first as seventh-grad- That’s not all. She is part of force me to manage my time. Staying ers and while they acknowledge the Ellison’s Leadership Academy and busy has helped me.” competition among the top students, chaired the group’s annual leader- Khan is similarly engaged. She they said it is friendly and they all ship conference this year. She is also completed the TBI program and count on one another for support. president of the National Honor Soci- will earn an associate degree from The top graduates have stayed exten- ety and was a student council officer Temple College. She also took part sively busy and both say their active her junior year. in Ellison’s Leadership Academy schedules have motivated them to stay She also has two jobs, coaching and played a large role in this year’s organized and to perform at their best. children’s volleyball and working student leadership conference and Graduation season is a special time of the year BY BARTON GOLDSMITH ing on from high school or their education can be more to return to school for a TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE from college to be let loose complex. These days, over higher degree. All of these on an unsuspecting world. 80% of college graduates new opportunities and It’s that time of year Graduating from high will move back home. adventures are potentially again. Graduation. Finals school and going to college Some will go straight into wonderful. But this stage have been taken (and hope- or to your next level of their first jobs, others will can also be challenging. fully passed!), and thoughts education is usually pretty elect to take a little time Sometimes we can’t tell of the future can loom exciting. But the feelings of before they accept an offer, large, whether you are mov- those who have completed and still others will decide PLEASE SEE SEASON, 5 4 Graduation Guide Shoemaker valedictorian, salutatorian came out of shells during high school BY TODD MARTIN until she got involved with Student 2 SPECIAL TO THE HERALD Student, an organization that helps new students acclimate. The top two graduates of this year’s She attended the organization’s Shoemaker High School class are nat- national training conference in urally reserved and quiet, but found Washington, D.C. “S2S has influenced their places in the large school and me a lot,” she said.